Handmade Croissants : It’s not as hard as you think! A beginner’s guide

Making croissants at home is not for the faint of heart, it takes a bit of planning, a bunch of folding and a whole lot of patience. But once you’ve succeeded in making your first batch of buttery, crispy, flaky croissants, you will be hooked.

Hooked on perfecting the techniques, hooked on the challenge of creating something so intricate with so few ingredients….And hooked on the undeniable sublime flavours and textures of a perfectly baked croissant, fresh from the oven.

I’m not going to pretend and say that I make croissants all the time. Truth is, I’ve only made them a handful of times. I’m certainly not an expert…not even close. There are many recipes and videos from more experienced professional & amateur bakers with much much more knowledge.

What I can offer is the experience from an enthusiastic home baker who recently discovered the wonders of pastry and bread making. If I can achieve such great results (in my first try no less), then you, can too!

The recipe

I discovered this croissant recipe on the Buttermilk Pantry blog . I found her explanations and instructions on the ins and outs of croissants making extremely detailed and helpful. It’s a really well written post and recipe. Please check it out and fall in love with it like I did.

As with any baking, the science has to be exact. So I followed her recipe to the letter, and lo and behold, I had great results the very first time. While I am evangelical about her methods, I have been experimenting with the logistics.

Logistics? What do you mean?

Well, it’s simple. Do you want to eat freshly baked croissants in the morning? Do you have things to do during the day like taking care of kids and work? Do want these croissants to be baked at the optimal time? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’ll need to plan ahead.

See under instructions for a proven schedule for me (a busy mom with active kids who still wishes to eat fresh homemade croissants on a weekend morning).

Some other important details

- Choose a cool day to make croissants. Having that on your side will keep the butter and dough cool longer as you roll and fold aka. lamination.

- Choose the right butter. A higher fat and lower moisture butter like many European style butters will be more malleable and easier to work with.

- Make sure to have enough: Fridge and counter space. This is actually really crucial because the dough is kept in the fridge for over 2 days.

- Be patient. Only make croissant at home when you have time to go back and forth to the kitchen. And you need to give it enough time to rest/chill and ample time to proof.

- While in the Buttermilk Pantry recipe, the timing of lamination and chilling of the dough is precise, my approach is more relax. This way I can go about with my busy days and still make time to laminate and wait. It makes the whole process more accessible.

- Have fun! This is a continuous learning journey. Each time I make a new batch of croissants, I learn something different. The results vary depending on your conditions and sometimes I fail. But if you like the challenge, croissant making is so worth the work.

Finally, you might ask. Why do all this when there are so many solid ready-to-bake or to-eat croissants out there to be purchased?

Well,

A: Do it, because they are truly delicious. Buttery, crispy, flaky and full of flavour due to the long fermentation process.

B: Do it, because you can!